Getting a new and deep group of capable defensive wings onto the Los Angeles Lakers roster was a clear focus of the offseason. The likes of Ziaire Williams, Matisse Thybulle, Cameron Carr, and Quentin Grimes are joining the returning Adou Thiero and Jake LaRavia. There is upside with that collective. Even with that being true, there is still a flaw that unites them as well.
Most of the Lakers wings are far more capable at scaling down on the defensive end than scaling up. That was something Jovan Buha mentioned on a recent episode of his podcast. Buha is, unfortunately for Los Angeles, pretty fair in making that assessment.
"The big, physical, strong wings, the Lakers don't have a great option for right now. [Jarred Vanderbilt] is arguably the best option for those guys, but I just don't think Vando's going to play much, if at all."
There was some hope that perhaps Thiero could grow into that type of player, but the second-year forward is not quite there yet. Should this end up being a provable pattern the Lakers see throughout the regular season, it would point them to an issue that must be addressed either via external options or a clever defensive tactics from JJ Redick.
Lakers need to figure out their gameplan for the physical fours of the NBA
This discussion came on the heels of Yaxel Lendeborg giving LaRavia and Thiero the business in the Lakers' preseason loss to the Golden State Warriors. If a rookie (albeit an old one) is capable of doing that, what happens when it is a seasoned star player? That is an uncomfortable thought.
A lot of what is being said here is why there was a fascination with adding the likes of Jonathan Kuminga, P.J. Washington, or someone of that nature during this past summer. Sure, there are flaws with both of those players. They still offer a bigger body to throw at these physical forwards.
The Lakers did not have Ziaire for that specific Yaxel matchup. Perhaps there is some hope in believing the new arrival in Los Angeles could offer a workable defensive option for those instances.
Even after bulking up, Williams is still only around 215, by his own admission. In the Lakers' first preseason game, there was a lot more of him picking up full court against backcourt players. One could argue that was specific to the matchup. Even so, it brings the conversation back to the point about Lakers wings being better at scaling down than up.
If this does prove to be the problem it could be throughout the season, the solution comes from one of two things. Either Redick gets creative in the types of coverages he utilizes against those bigger forwards. Or, Rob Pelinka is going to be asked to weigh his options before the 2027 trade deadline.
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